Each year, I tell myself I’m going to actually write on my blog. So far, each year, has appeared to be a failure. I debated for quite a while if it was even worth keeping around, seeing as blogs are a dime a dozen these days. Because I love to write, I decided it’s going to stay around for another year. Hopefully this time, with some new content!
If you’ve been here before, you know I’m one of those ‘Word of the Year‘ people. This year is no different. I’ve jokingly said that it’s about time for me to pick some word like “blessed” or “rest” or something that seems easy. Of course, that just isn’t what happened. In years past, I’ve chosen words like “surrender”, “perseverance”, “excellence”, and last year was “undisturbed”. Ironically, each year that I’ve chosen a word, it has challenged me and grown me.
Last year was a hard year in a lot of ways. I can’t say I lived out “undisturbed” very well. Learning to deal with teenagers in our home and all the drama that comes with that was difficult. We had a week long revival at our church, which was truly amazing, and equally amazingly difficult as God revealed sin that needed to be confessed. We made a huge change by sending our oldest to school this year, a hybrid of homeschool and traditional, so she is only there 2 days a week. It brought about a lot of change, mostly for the good. It challenged my trust in God in many ways.
Welcome 2022, and this is what has been playing over and over in my head:
being transformed
In 2019, I actually wrote a post about this very thing on my personal Facebook page. Let me share with you what I wrote:
“But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:16-18
Now the nerd in me had to look a few things up: The phrase “being transformed” is metamorphoō, which means to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure. Obviously, it’s where we get our word metamorphosis. When we choose to follow Christ, we go through our own metamorphosis, right? Our own transformation- we go from death to life, from a slave to sin to a slave to righteousness.
Each verb in English has two participles — a present participle and a past participle. You use the present participle in the present progressive tenses, which indicate that an action is ongoing. “Being” is a present progressive participle. So, if we have turned to Christ, we are “being transformed,” which is a continuing action, something happening now. Salvation is not the end, but the beginning of our change. Doesn’t that seem like a good indicator as to whether or not we are truly following Him? Are our lives not only changed, but continually changing? I hope this time next year, I can look back and see continual transformation in my life. That I am not just different, but made more like Jesus.
I forgot that I had written that almost 3 years ago, but something about it still speaks to me. This life we live in Christ is a continuous change. Some days, I wish I would wake up the next day and be able to live the life for Christ that I desire to live. I want to be changing now. I want to learn to truly live by the grace of God and not by my own striving. I don’t ever want to think I’ve arrived.
So, this year, my word is “being transformed”. I want to continue to be made more like Christ and less like me. I want this to be an ongoing change. That is the desire of my heart.
What about you? Do you choose a word to inspire your year? I’d love to hear about it if you do!
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